Kamal Arrested, Loses Job At Ch. 7

He's Jailed In Child Sex Sting

South Florida television personality Bill Kamal was fired from his job as chief meteorologist for WSVN-Ch. 7 on Monday -- the same day federal authorities filed charges accusing him of trying to seduce a 14-year-old boy over the Internet.

Kamal was arrested Sunday as he stepped out of his black Jaguar in the parking lot of a Fort Pierce convenience store. Expecting a teenager, he was met instead by agents with a federal task force, U.S. Attorney Marcos Daniel JimM-inez said.

Kamal joined WSVN-Ch. 7 in July 1994, and was the station's chief meteorologist, broadcasting weather for the evening newscasts.

In an e-mail statement Monday, WSVN said, We have no other alternative but to dismiss Bill Kamal for cause.

A federal criminal complaint filed in Fort Pierce on Monday accuses Kamal of using the Internet to entice a minor for sex. The accompanying eight-page affidavit lays out details of the investigation in graphic detail.

The arrest capped a weeklong investigation in which an undercover agent posed as the boy, agreeing to meet with Kamal. According to the affidavit, Kamal admitted arranging the meeting but denied planning to have sex with the boy.

He told agents he wanted to love the boy as a father figure, but admitted communicating with other children over the Internet and possessing child pornography on a laptop computer, the affidavit stated.

Last week Kamal came to the attention of a multi-agency federal operation dubbed "Operation Predator," which targets pedophiles and child pornographers. He will appear before a federal magistrate today in Fort Pierce.

According to the affidavit, Kamal encountered someone he believed to be a sexually inexperienced, gay 14-year-old last Monday in an Internet chat room called "Boyzformen." He allegedly introduced himself as "Billy," writing, "hi, masc. lean ripped body, older looking 4 a son."

They exchanged e-mails and phone calls, and agreed to meet Sunday. "I can't wait to see you buddy and give you a big hug and a sweet passionate kiss," Kamal allegedly wrote. "Hopefully we will fall in love with each other and no one would know." He described the relationship as "a dad/son's love ... plus the sex."

Agents followed Kamal on Sunday as he drove from the Las Olas Boulevard condo he bought two years ago for $300,000 to a convenience store in Fort Pierce, where he had arranged to meet the boy between 1:30 and 2 p.m.

Kamal owns another $300,000 beachfront condo in Miami Beach, where he corresponded with the agent on a desktop computer, according to the affidavit and property records. He also used his computer in the newsroom, according to the affidavit.

At a news conference Monday, JimM-inez said his office has seen a huge leap in child pornography and sexual predator cases during the past three years. In 2001, 24 such cases were prosecuted in South Florida. This year, there have been 40.

Federal authorities urged parents to carefully monitor their teenagers' computer time and teach them not to give out personal information or arrange to meet with strangers. The Department of Homeland Security runs a 24-hour child predator tip line, 1-866-DHS-2ICE.

Details of the correspondence between the popular TV weatherman and the agent posing as a teen provide a cautionary tale on the ways of child predators, JimM-inez said.

"im really looking 4 a real son," Kamal allegedly wrote, "not just to trade pics and never speak again. im not just looking for quick sex." Later, he added, "I would love to care for you buddy ... hopefully love you like you deserve ... I would like to be cared about like a dad too."

When the agent posing as the boy reminded Kamal he was sexually inexperienced, Kamal responded: "don't worry ... we can work on all that ... Just caring and loving someone is important."

Both expressed concern about getting caught. Kamal asked if any of the boy's friends knew he was gay and communicating with older men. The agent posing as the boy responded that no one knew.

"I like that," Kamal wrote, "very discreet here too. I wish we were closer, so we could have discreet friendship and relationship." Asked if he was a police officer, Kamal responded, "nope. Just a cool dude who works in the media and has to be VERY DISCREET."

Members of a federal task force called LEACH, an acronym for Law Enforcement Against Child Harm, worked the case. The task force includes agents from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, deputies from the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and officers from the Fort Lauderdale and Miami-Dade police departments.

The undercover officer, Neil Spector, and lead investigator, Chris Harvey, also are involved in another high-profile child pornography case in South Florida.